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Five Earths - Timeline (2013 November)
This is the timeline of the Five Earths, All in a Row setting of 2013 November. (1941 on Earth-2, 1879 on Earth-3, 1556 on Earth-4, and 515 CE/1268 AUC on Earth-5) <-2013 October; 2013 December)-> November 1 By this date, 2.5% of Inp-Europe's electrical grid is powered by fusion. Similar numbers occur in other regions, including even parts of the Developing World (though in the latter case, the functioning electrical grids are smaller and less unified). The Inp-USA finally begins selling general War Bonds, rather than bonds dedicated to specific programs (and many of the Buy War Bonds ads look hardly any different from the WWII originals). It is far from the only nation to do so. Nov. 3 In Walmington-on-Sea, Dsp-UK, Earth-2, the local Home Guard unit lead by Captain George Mainwaring (prounced 'Mannering') repels an invasion of 'Nazi Mole Men' - actually explorers from one of the underground cities mentioned on July 23rd, armed with weapons taken from the drill-tank crew they captured (well, they captured one, the rest had died of life-support failure by then). On Earth-1, Incom and magitech startup Subrahmyan Products (SubPro) of Tamil Nadu, India, announce a cooperative venture: the development of the Z-95 Headhunter. At Edwards Space Force Base, OV-105 Endeavour, last of the original OV-100 class Space Shuttles, is reactivated. Her first mission is to participate in tests of the docking systems installed on various space bombers and space cargo craft. Planned tests of pressurized docking systems to be installed on small space fighters have been cancelled - instead, USSF fighter pilots and copilots deployed from larger spacecraft are to fly in spacesuits (of a new, much less bulky design, by necessity - the current stopgap measure of enchanting existing high-altitude flight suits is not considered satisfactory), with depressurized cockpits to reduce stress on the fighters' limited life-support systems, and allow faster in-space entry and egress. Nov. 4 On Earth-1, the dirigible yacht Apollion leaves Inp-Japan for the Philipines. Some of her passengers chose to stay in Japan, while others, along with several scientists, are traveling aboard, bound for the University of Manila, where research into the air-yacht's divergent technology will take place, with the captain/owner serving as director of the new company formed to commercially exploit it. The Inp-USN puts out a request for the development of fusion-powered midget submarines, of sufficiently small length, height, and beam to fit within existing cargo spaceplanes without modification. The submissions are to include a missile boat, a torpedo boat, and a SEAL infiltration/exfiltration vehicle. With somewhat greater reluctance, the USSF requests bids for a seaplane/spaceplane (that is to say, a spaceplane capable of landing on and taking off from the ocean), with cargo space comparable to or exceeding current designs, and able to pick up or deploy cargo directly from or to the water. In Dsp-Madrid, Spain, Mussolini completes a separate peace with the Allies (see June 14), but does not join the war, as yet. Nov. 6 In Fa-Aegyptus, Earth-5, a man calling himself 'Ptolomey Caesar' seizes power. He claims descent from both Julius Caesar (through his son of that name) and Queen Zenobia of Palmyra, whom herself may have been a descendent of Caesarion's half-sister from Marcus Antonius. Though technically a participant in the ongoing Eastern Roman Civil War, he claims to have no great ambitions beyond the 'traditional Aegyptian lands'. His declaration that grain shipments to Roma will continue on-schedule is practically a given, as anything less could bring the relatively united force of the Western Empire down on him. In orbit of Earth-1, three Starship Enterprises Class A shuttlepods (see Aug. 12) place the first component (a BA 330 module) of 'Spacedock One', Starship Enterprises' corporate space station. The module was encased in a protective, aerodynamic shell, which was carried above and between the three shuttlepods in triangular formation, with the controls of the two rear pods slaved to the leader. The module is freed from its case, and inflates with no problems, though it takes a few tries to get the main polywell lit. The casing is left in orbit to supply raw materials. Nov. 7 In the Dsp-US Congress, a resolution is introduced that would call for the European and Asian powers to end the current war, so that they might come together with the Dsp-USA to face 'the real threat, not only to our way of life, but of every right-thinking person on this globe': the peoples of the Future Earth (certain parties were getting desperate, and not everyone in Congress is cleared for how much help Dsp-USA has gotten; they were, however, aware of how very different Infopunk America is from Dieselpunk America). The resolution fails to pass, partly because it's strongly endorsed by letters from Goebbels and Stalin. A resolution does pass (though more from a particularly good speech that introduced it) to reject, in the strongest diplomatic terms, any request from a foreign power that the United States go to war with 'Our Children, Grandchildren, and Great-Grandchildren, as they were born on that other Earth, no-matter how mislead they are today.' Nov. 9 Over Earth-1, orbital construction begins on Inp-Japan's Wakamiya-class 'probe carrier'. This class of vessel is designed to deploy a form of Very Large Array, to provide more detailed combat information than would otherwise be possible. The probes have absurdly-powerful-for-the-stated-purpose self destruct systems to 'protect classified Japanese technology' (it's also a Very Dangerous Array, which may be why some of the empowered otaku involved sent Howard Taylor an advance ticket to the eventual launch ceremony). Some probes will linger or wander around the battlespace (like highly-selective mines), only exploding when approached too closely by an enemy, or when ordered to, while others perform in-depth analysis of specific targets, by colliding with them. Being enhanced/enchanted, these 'impactor' probes will tend to Itano around picturesquely, incidentally confusing enemy missile-defence systems. Nov. 12 'On Earth-1, an article appears in the Inp-Weekly Journal of Parapsychology discussing a variety of feral Red Lantern (the near-mindless berserkers, in other words, rather than the saner ones) called the cyclical feral, or 'were-feral'. These Reds appear normal (if irritable) most of the time, showing no signs of being Red Lanterns, as the ring makes itself undetectable, sometimes hiding within the heart-construct, or abandoning its original fetish entirely, to embed itself in a tattoo, scar, or other mark on or in the host. They transform into Red Lanterns (often with a change in appearance) at some trigger, such as the full moon, night fall, midnight, or after the host gets angry enough, and then hide and revert to normal once the stimulus, or sufficient time, has passed. Such hosts often have no idea that they are now a Red Lantern, until they transform, and sometimes not even then, as many do not remember anything that occurred in that state. Nov. 14 On Earth-1, Inp-Lockheed Martin announces that two models of the F-35 are being renamed: the F-35A will be called 'Shadowhawk', and the F-35C, 'Tomcat II'; the F-35B will continue to be designated 'Lightning II'. The reason for the new names is not made clear, but rumours suggest the lack of separate names for what are essentially separate designs lead to problems enhancing them. In Dsp-New York, corporate-sponsored hero Dollar Bill debuts a new, bullet-resistant costume, with a shorter, snap-on cape, capable of being removed just by jerking away from whatever it's caught on. Nov. 18 In Inp-UK, Webley & Scott offer a three-shot revolver net gun for the Home Guard, which several units immediately order, rather than waiting for government procurement. In Inp-Newark, NJ, a man dressed as the Joker (Young Justice version) attempts to take control of a street gang by killing the leader with poisoned laughing gas. This 'Joker' is immediately killed by the leader's best friend, and his sister, who shoot 'Joker' 17 times. The best friend becomes the new gang leader. Nov. 23 On Inp-Earth, 'false time machines' begin manifesting in sets, props, toys, jewelry, and other items owned and/or built by fen and other eccentrics. These devices allow the users to astrally project into humanity's memory of the past, or predictions of the future, or in some cases, dreams of an alternate past or fictional future. It should be noted that this simulation of time travel does NOT particularly affect the present without using other powers to manufacture the changes - at most, people might have strange dreams, slightly dreamlike memories that contradict the more clear recollections, and/or ideas to post on alternate history sites. Very few will consider it a coincidence that this happened on the Day of the Doctor. Nov. 24 On Earth-1, the BBC begins receiving numerous copies of missing episodes of Doctor Who, among other series. Not all who attempted this were successful. The deciding factor seems to be bringing the recording media with them, rather than trying to steal the episodes from the cans, or the cans themselves, with nothing to replace them. In Dsp-Germany, Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel and his family disappear. Nov. 26 On Earth-2, Stalin and Goebbels jointly announce that the (Dsp) United States of America has repeatedly violated its own neutrality by supporting the Allies, and thus has been, and is, in a state of war with the Axis powers. Shortly after this announcement, German and Soviet submarines, working with clocks synchronized before putting to sea, attack US Navy ships throughout the Atlantic and Pacific. Having learned lessons from Earth-1's WWII (or 'WWII(1)', as some Earth-1 historians and journalists have begun calling it), the aircraft carriers are priority targets. Tragically, all Dsp-USN carriers not in drydock are sunk, with three exceptions: In the Pacific, USS Saratoga is lightly damaged, but new anti-submarine warfare equipment being tested by two of her escorts (primarily passive sonar and better depth-charge and torpedo designs (both from Earth-1), which the Soviets were unaware of, allows the wolfpack to be located easily; two are sunk, one surfaces, and the others are forced to retreat. Also in the Pacific, USS Enterprise was out of position due to an encounter with a pair of sea monsters, and thus could not be found by the Soviets' submarines. In the Atlantic, USS Ranger is saved from the one U-boat to find her by the sacrifice of the USS William D. Porter, whose crew interpose their ship between the carrier and several torpedoes. The Porter iss lost with all hands. The submarine, U-577, is damaged by depth charges, and forced to surface. Her Enigma machine, a new six-wheel model, is captured, along with a codebook of one-time pads that look like unrelated messages. * On land, missiles launched from specialized submarines of both Navies impact several cities in the Dsp-USA, to varying effect. The two rockets fired at Dsp-New York City, for example, are destroyed by the 'Peace Ray' Nicola Tesla installed in the Empire State Building. The rocket fired at Gotham City, N.J. goes off course, damaging the outer wall and one side of the main building of the Arkham Asylum Annex for the Criminally Insane; a number of the inmates escape in the confusion. Several US cities are hit with both Fuel-Air bombs and firebombs, including Newport News, Chicago, San Diego, and Pearl Harbor. Nov. 27 Dsp-US Congress declares that a state of war does exist between the United States of America and the Axis Powers. Dsp-USA joins the Allies. USRS transferred to the War Department. President Roosevelt orders that all existing Mark 14 and Mark 15 torpedoes be modified to the specifications given in the computers from Inp-USA (see June 13), and that all new Mark 14s be built to those same specifications. In addition, production of the Mark 14 is to end once sufficient facilities for the production of the new Mark 16 torpedo (also from Inp-USA) become operational (many on Inp-Earth/Earth-1 were surprised that the Mark 14 was still in use, given that Dsp-Earth is already using ships, planes and tanks that weren't available until the mid-to-late 1940s on Inp-Earth). Privately, several officers in the Bureau of Ordnance and the Submarine Force are informed that if they drag their heels on this issue, they may find themselves counting polar bears in Alaska. Nov. 29 In Dsp-England, an experiment performed by Dr. Gulliver Jones, PhD, of King's College, Cambridge, grants him abilities similar to those of the android Human Torch, but unstable, and requiring a certain amount of recovery time after prolonged use. The Special Operations Executive designates him 'Captain Kerosene'. In Inp-USA, Space Shuttles Enterprise and Atlantis begin a minor pre-mission refit. Category:Timelines Category:Fanwork